a smattering of small(ish) things

Hey there!

I've got a few FOs for you today!

Let's see...

I finished the Gentleman’s Socks with Lozenge Pattern for Bill:

he loves them, it just makes me so happy to make socks for him, he really appreciates them, I need to make more socks for me, but I keep picking out yarns for him, because it is so fun to see how happy they make him.



Pattern: Gentleman’s Sock with Lozenge pattern by Nancy bush (found in Knitting Vintage Socks)
yarn: Knitpicks Stroll in Wine
needles: US 1 (2.25mm)
I modified the pattern a bit to be able to knit them toe up, two at once, and good thing, too, because I ran out of yarn! You can see the ravelry page here


***


then I knit a little blue sweater for Bill's brother and Sister in law, because they are having a little boy and we are all very excited!



this was a great little pattern, I really loved the cable detail. I continued the cables down under the arms, and mirrored them, because I'm like that.

Pattern: Sunnyside by Tanis Lavallee
yarn: Bernat Softee Baby Solids & Marls held double
needles: US 5 (3.75mm)
ravelry page here


***


after the sweater it started to get a bit chilly here, and I had promised TW that I would make him a new hat since he grew out of his pixie

so I knit him an owl:



this was a fun little hat, but since my yarn wasn't to gauge, I needed to make a lot of adjustments, I cast on for the adult size and then added extra rows to the owl body and head.



Pattern: Chouette by Ekaterina Blanchard
yarn: Schafer Lola, held double
needles: US 9 (5.5mm)
ravelry page

Hey! long time no see!

So I've been super busy living life and enjoying my time with TW, but I have a ton of stuff to share with you!

Still no progress on the shawl, I really should get myself an audiobook and buckle down, but until then, I’ve finally finished the big blanket!

For size reference, that's our queen sized bed.

(yes, I had to stand on a chair to take that picture, it was scary.)

It's nice and soft and cozy and warm, and I finished it just in time for a summer heat wave, so it hasn't gotten much use yet, but I foresee lots of cuddles come winter time.

And just because, here is TW modeling it for you:

Yarn: my hand dyed hand-spun

Needles: size 10.5 (6.5mm) knitpicks options

Pattern: a bastardized Shetland Shawl construction: I cast on three stitches and knit the middle panel, increasing every row until it was big enough, and decreasing back down. (a la Grannie's Favorite Washcloth). Then I picked up stitches all along the edge and knit in the round increasing at the corners until I ran out of blue yarn, then I did a sideways knit on edging in white, ending it back at the beginning with Kitchener stitch.

It's meand to be big and warm, and not need any blocking if it needs to be washed.  I can simply squeeze out the water and pat it out in a rough square shape and let it dry.
(My poor pi blanket got dirty soon after TW was born and it still hasn't been blocked since we don't have the room for it here.)

***

Bill's socks are coming along nicely, I have one more pattern repeat and then I start the ribbing.

***

And as the weather has finally started to cool off a bit we can start turning off the AC and opening the windows, which means pleasant breezes... and slamming doors. So I’ve had to get back to the little mousy doorstop. I picked up a nice heavy stone for his base today while out on a hike so I can stuff him and finish up the rest of his head. Then its just a quick nose and a couple of ears!

(although I do have to admit that he looks a bit creepy right now.)

***

In other crafty news, my poor juggling balls have been sitting on my bedroom bookshelf for ages, ever since the old bag fell apart in the wash, so I decided (with the inspiration from my new friends on the FB Project Project group (hi guys!)) that it was time to make them a new bag.

It was super simple, just the leg off of an old pair of PJ bottoms, and a kumihimo cord made from cotton yarn. But now my juggling stuff has a happy new home, and I have more room for books on my self!

***

Before I made the juggling bag I decided to try my idea out on a pair of jeans first. Then I got the nifty idea to make it a set, so I whipped up a few denim bean bags to go with it. (the aren't filled yet, since I need to pick up some of those little plastic pellets first, but I have a craft store trip planned for the near future for some other crafty projects, so I'll pick some up then.)

I have a friend who juggles also, and since I certainly don't need any more balls, I may give them to him.

***

I have a few more crafty ideas in the works, and I'm trying to keep up knitting regularly, (even with the lack of a weekly get together) so hopefully I'll be back soon with more updates!

Slow progress is still progress

with the lack of Monday knitting, and Bill's work schedule landing on a few Saturdays, I haven't had as much knitting time as I would like. But I have been making progress, because i can still knit simple things during date nights (we cuddle up after TW's bed time and watch a few episodes of British TV)

the shawl is still stuck in the trees, so no pictures of that yet, but I’ve almost finished my hand spun blanket!

One problem...I ran out of white yarn.

I have a tiny ball left over from when I knit the center and I think I may have a hank from when I was doing test spinning, but I don't think that will be enough. I also have a bit of blue left, so I could just finish the last corner with that, but then it would probably drive me nuts. We'll see. It's in time out right now as I ponder my options.

***

I've started a new pair of socks for Bill as well, perfect waiting room knitting and for date nights.

Knit Picks Stroll in "Wine" on US 1 (2.25mm)

Nancy Bush's "Gentleman's Sock with Lozenge Pattern" from Knitting Vintage Socks, slightly adapted to make them toe up.

***

TW is starting to outgrow his pixie hat so I need to plan for a new hat for next year. I think I want to do Chouette but I wanted to be sure I understood how the cables work, and to check for any mods I would have to make (a lot of people mentioned needing to add rows to the body and head of the owl) so I knit a mini prototype:

knit with one strand of random acrylic on US 7s (4.5mm) I did the smallest size and this would probably fit a newborn, super cute. I added two rows to the body, but I think it probably could use four, and maybe a few extra in the head too. (ravely page)

there’s a basket for donated baby/preemie hats at Saturday knitting, so I’ll probably put it in next time I can go.

fo, blanket progress, and new knitting group news!

Wow, it has been a crazy week here at the Platypus Gardens.

Bill got an awesome new job a few months ago, but because he is so new, there is no way he would be able to get any significant time off at Christmas time. BUT he managed to get four days off in a row in the beginning of December by working three 11 hour days straight.

So this past week while he was at work I spent my days toddler wrangling and also trying to prepare for a trip up north. I cooked, cleaned, took TW for walks and packed what I could. All the while slipping in a few moments of knitting here and there.

Just before we left I finished the simple cabled socks I had been working on:

socks on a plane(rav link)

in Dorchester Farms Handpainted sock yarn

my usual two at once toe up construction on US 1 (2.25mm) 40 inch circulars

(project's Ravelry page)

I thought it was a very auspicious start to our trip to be wearing a brand new pair of hand knit socks.

While I knew we would be busy visiting family I also knew that it was a 3 1/2 hr drive up and another 3 1/2 hr drive home, so I brought my knitting along. I had hoped to work on the sheep shawl, but unfortunately reading the chart made me carsick, so I spent the whole trip working on my hand-spun blanket instead. I finished the second ball of blue yarn, and got about halfway though the third by the time we got home. That's some pretty good progress!

Since it's been so busy this past week that’s all the progress I have to show you for now. But I have awesome news on the knitting group front:

you may remember that when we lived back up north I attended a knitting group on Monday nights at a local coffee house. When we moved I was sad to be leaving them, but soon found a new (also on Monday!) group here in Troy. They met at Flavor's cafe and I made a ton of friends and had a great time knitting and socializing. Sadly this past spring Flavor's was targeted by an arsonist and burnt down. Reconstruction faced many delays and I was once again left knit-groupless (although many of us still kept in contact via facbook, ravelry and other social networks) then a month or so ago, thanks to Ravelry, I discovered another group of knitters that meets at a (semi)local cafe on Saturday afternoons. Luckily, Bills new work schedule allowed me to stop in a few times, and I really enjoyed myself! It turns out that the cafe's owner is also knitter, and also very good at promotion and networking, and one thing lead to another and now the old Monday group from Flavors will be meeting there as well! So now I have TWO groups a week I can choose from, one on Monday evenings, and one on Saturday afternoons! And Bill's new schedule at work is such that if I want I can attend both while he hangs out with TW! Yay!

Catch up Part Two

Remember TW's pixie hat? (you saw it in the last post too.) When my cousin discovered that she was pregnant, she immediately requested that I make one for he son as well. I couldn't refuse!

 

Stella Pixie hat
in Vickie Howell Sheep(ish) in turquoise
on US 6 (4mm) circular needles.

I used the same mods as last time.
(project's Ravelry page)

 I can't wait to get the pictures of it on him! I'll be giving it to her at Christmas, along with a pair of thumbless mittens in the same yarn. (more on them in a later post)

 ***

When my mom was visiting a while ago she brought me yarn! Lion Brand Amazing. It's a wool/acrylic Noro wannabe. It was quite soft and the colors seemed pretty nice too. Around the same time I discovered that all my knit hats either didn't go down over my ears well, or had lace/yarn overs that let the wind in. I decided to remedy that.




It's in Bicolor Brioche
On US 6 (4mm) needles In Lion Brand Amazing in Strawberry Fields and Pink Sands.
(project's Ravelry page)

This is the third time I've knit this particular pattern, and my sixth time knitting Brioche in the round, and I gotta say I still love it!

The hat is nice and squishy and soft, and VERY warm. Perfect for the frequent walks TW and I take while Bill is at work.

***

It hasn't been just all hats around here though. I've also started a new pair of socks:

 

socks on a plane (link is to the Ravelry pattern page)

(my Bayerische socks are on hold until I stop being annoyed at them for being so fiddly in a dark colored yarn)

***

I also washed, carded, spun, and plied up a bunch of yarn from the batch that had originally been destined for a sweater. The dyeing process had been interrupted by our move, and I decided that the sweater was never going to happen. So I cast on in the white yarn I already had spun up, and spun up a batch of blue and white mixed.




There are four skeins of white, two in the center and two for an edging, and then four skeins of blue all for the border.

It should be a nice large, squishy, warm blanket when it's done. It is a bit further along than in the picture now (I'm into the second skein of blue), but its my mindless big lap knitting, and I don't work on it much, but that's ok, since there is no deadline.

***

And finally before I end this post, here is an unremarkable picture of the start of an amigurumi mouse doorstop.

Over the summer and early fall when the temperatures were so nice we had the windows open a lot, unfortunately the wind kept catching the door to TW's room and slamming it on us. Eventually I got fed up and decided that his door needed a doorstop too. But that it had to match Marmalade who guards our bedroom door.

 

 I’m taking my time on him, since he doesn't need to be ready until spring when we open the windows again.

Catch up part one

I'll be playing catch up in the next few posts, I'll try to keep in roughly chronological order, but no promises.

When last we saw knitting content from our intrepid hero there had been owlie mittens and toddler socks.

Since then I've made some crochet acorns:

caps were found while out on one of our many hikes.

yarn is random sock scraps, tiny E hook

pattern from here

but modified to fit my much larger caps.

(project's Ravelry page)

after the acorns I got ambitious and cast on for Haruni using some hand spun I had made long before our move.

the cat was not terribly helpful.

While I was knitting Haruni it got cold and TW grew out of his previous mittens, so I made him a new pair

pattern: Dulaan Easy-On Mittens

yarn: Schaefer Yarn Company Lola (Superwash) in indigo

(project's Ravelry page)

while the mittens were made LAST year, they didn't get worn until this year, this was the only picture I got before there were treated to the Toddler Special (mud puddles, leaves and carrying lots of sticks and pine cones) they are looking quite disheveled now.

Progress was made on Haruni:

I started and finished a new pair of socks for Bill:

(yes, that's right, I managed to break another pair of needles, luckily Knit Picks is awesome and replaced them for me.)

Knit Picks Kettle Dyed Stroll in Ivy

pattern is roughly Cat Bordhi's Ridgeline expansion with a seed stitch accent.

On US 1 / 2.25mm needles, magic loop, two at once.

(project's Ravelry page)

Haruni was finished, but then it took me almost a year to get around to blocking it:

Haruni

(Ravelry link)

on US 3 / 3.25mm needles

using my hand spun Marino/Tencel from Stony Mountain Fibers (the yarn's Ravelry page is here)

(project's Ravelry page)

that's enough for now. It's time to go watch the Thanksgiving Day Parade with my family.

recabled

Wow, where does the time go?

No FOs yet.

But I do have a few things in the works, and there is something to show today.

A little while ago while I was working on my toe up Bayerichies I noticed a miss crossed cable!



Oh the horror!

But it's ok! I just dropped back...



And re-knit!



All better!

I have some other things to write about, but no time today, hopefully the next update will come a little sooner than this one did!

Toddler sox

We somehow managed to loose one of TW's stripy sox at my last doctors appointment, bummer.

But it was a good excuse to make him some new ones!


Pair the first:



Needles: US size 2 (2.75 mm)
Yarn: Knitpicks Felici in Aurora and Knipicks Stroll in Purple







Pair the second:



Same needles
Yarn: Knitpicks Stroll in Pumpkin and Dorchester Farms Handpainted in oranges and black







and a cute sock story:

The other day I had put TW's socks on, and he had quickly thereafter taken them off again.
A bit later I needed to leave for a while and when I came back Bill reported that as soon as TW had realized I was gone, he had gotten his socks and made Bill put them on him. He then left them on until I returned, at which point they quickly came back off again.

I'm not quite sure what to make of that! :D

Whew!

It's amazing how busy life can be with a toddler. Yep I said Toddler, TW is walking like crazy, and it's a full time job keeping up with him.

I've managed to squeeze in quite a bit of knitting and sewing during naps and while wearing him, but I never seem to be able to find a moment to sit down and write a blog post, when I have a free moment I usually would rather be relaxing and knitting rather than typing, but I'm making an effort to get a post our today since I have such a backlog of things to write about.

I finally got around to sewing the last buttons on TW's baby surprise jacked, which I finished months ago. Thankfully it still fins him, and will for a while; all I will need to do is lengthen the sleeves occasionally, which should be no problem since I still have some yarn leftover.








TW outgrew the hat his grandmother made him, so I had to make another.



Stella pixie hat
Lion brand wool ease
US Size 6 (4mm) needles







The original pattern called for a normal cast on with a thin neck band sewn on later, but I wanted something that would cover his neck while we were out walking. I did a provisional cast on and then once the min hat was finished I picked up the bottom stitches, knit a few rows, then cast on 8 more stitches and joined it in the round and ribbed for 2 more inches. I threw in a few short rows along the front for a bit more coverage.

It works beautifully and is so stretchy that it will probably fit him next year too, and he looks so adorable!



I also knit TW a pair of socks, he was outgrowing his old socks, and they were all cotton anyways and I wanted him to have something warmer for the wintertime.



It's just my usually sock patter sized way down. They keep his feet warm, but as little ones are known to do, he keeps pulling them off. I need to make some more, he's already beginning to outgrow them.





Besides things for The Boy I've also been making a few things for me and Bill,

First off I have been sewing some new project bags, my old ones were made way back when I first started sewing and weren't very well put together. It was getting time for some fresh new ones.



the kitty bag on the left has socks waiting to be darned, the big red bag in the middle holds all my hand knit socks, and the purple bag on the right had my latest WIP





toe up bayerische
knitpicks essential (now stroll) in kettle dyed Jay
US size 1.5 (2.5mm) needles
although I think I'm probably just going to do my normal short row heel.

And finally on the spinning front, remember this?


I started spinning this Jacob fiber way back before TW was boon, and only just finally got the time to finish it up.



I plan on starting a pair of plain mittens for Bill out of it. The last two years he's only had his squirrel and oak mittens and he's been worried about ruining them, so he needs a plain 'working' pair of mittens



whew!